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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rash — a series
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cue — a signal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in biology
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rash — hasty
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com